by William L. Henrich, MD, MACP
San Antonio-based Bartlett Cocke General Contractors gave media and local officials the first inside glimpse of what will become the new clinical practice home for the UT Health Science Center where the Health Science Center’s nationally recognized cutting-edge medicine will be delivered in a new state-of-the-art building and supported by the most advanced patient care systems.
The facility will be called the Medical Arts and Research Center (MARC) at The UT Health Science Center and will feature 256,000-square feet of clinical and research space and an 860-car parking garage. The project will be located at 8300 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX (the corner of Charles Katz and Floyd Curl Drive) and will be completed in the summer of 2009.
Bartlett Cocke’s chairman, Duane Pozza called the project “a blueprint for success.” He said, “Dr. Francisco Cigarroa is the kind of leader that inspires a drive to deliver construction services that exceed expectations. That’s what we’ve done with this project.”
Randy Pawelek, CEO and president of Bartlett Cocke said, “What we have here in the MARC is a structure of steel, concrete and glass. As contractors, we live to build them. It’s our job. And to “top” them out is a highlight of our job.” He continued, “But it turns out that we, the builders, are only the means, not the end, and only a fraction of the means at that. For what this structure of steel, concrete and glass really provides is a new horizon in health care; a new facility shaped not by steel and concrete, but by the vision and dedication of designers, researchers, doctors, nurses and staff, in their sophisticated pursuit of improving health and well-being. To this end, we, Bartlett Cocke General Contractors, are grateful to be a part of the MARC family.”
The MARC will consolidate eight of the Health Science Center’s separate research and clinic locations into a single, premier medical practice a “one-stop shop” for integrated, full-service patient care ranging from primary care, specialty care, diagnostic, therapeutic and interventional services. In addition, the new MARC will offer the largest group of specialist physicians in Central/South Texas and will be staffed by world-class experts from the UT Health Science Center.
The MARC was intentionally designed to make the “flow” of patient care more efficient from the front door, to the front desk (with a concierge-like system), through the diagnostic and treatment processes while capturing the medical, technical and diagnostic information electronically each step of the way. Every person in the patient’s “chain of care” can have access to all the information available.
The building itself is designed to optimize the patient’s experience and elevate it to the same level of the medical care they receive. Every detail is aimed to elevate the patient’s level of care. The Health Science Center’s clinicians are also teachers and researchers, which means they are on the forefront of medicine, studying new treatment technologies and developing/discovering even newer ones.
In addition, the MARC will feature a concierge service for patients, including a leading-edge information system (electronic medical records) that will make the appointment experience easier and better for not just the patient, but every doctor or nurse who deals with them. New systems and processes mean the patient and their referring physician are included as partners in the process. The MARC also will feature a new, fully-automated clinical information system to allow for efficient and timely patient communication.
William Henrich, Dean of the School of Medicine of the UT Health Science Center said, “We are most grateful to Duane Pozza and all our friends and colleagues at Bartlett Cocke for continuing to demonstrate that they are not just in the construction business but they are in the business of building communities, in and around the University of Texas system. We have the utmost confidence in not just their technical and mechanical abilities, but in their dedication to making our city a better place to work, live and raise a family.”
Go to http://bartlett-cocke-news.com to view more renderings of the future MARC.
